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São Vicente)
For other uses, see São Vicente (disambiguation)
São Vicente (Crioulo: Sanvicente or Sanvcênt) is one of the Barlaventos islands of the Cape Verde. It is separated by the São Vicente Channel in the northwest. The airport is in the southwest.
The island has a population of around 50,000 concentrated in its main town of Mindelo, long a British refuelling port. It is the second most populous island of Cape Verde. As the island is generally arid, its main industries are now fishing and tourism, along with its military base. It is known for the Baia das Gatas Music Festival and for its cricket team. It also has a small airport and a desalinisation plant.
The island is roughly rectangular in shape with a surface area of ca. 227 sq.km. From east to west it measures 24 km and from north to south no more than 16 km. The terrain includes mountains in the west, the southwest, the south, the esat-central and the north. The area is flat in the northcentral, the central part, the eastern part south of Calhau and the northern part in the Baia das Gatas area. The urban area of Mindelo is in the northern part. Much of the island are deforested.
Although volcanic in origin, the island is quite flat. Its highest point is Monte Verde (Portuguese for green mountain) located in the northeast-central part with an altitude of 774 metres. Although a great amount of erosion has taken place, some craters still remain -- in particular near the bay of Mindelo. The other mountain include Monte Cara .
Communities
- Baia das Gatas , E
- Calhau , E
- Madeiral , S
- Mindelo, N
- Salamansa , N
- Seixal , ESE
- São Pedro , SW
- Topim , ESE
Geographical features
In clockwise order:
- Ponta de Doca , in the northern part of the island
- Ponta Marigou , north, the northernmost point on the island
- Ponta da Fregata, in the northeastern part of the island
- Praia Grande (meaning large beach), northeast
- Ponta do Calhau, located in the east
- Ponta da Vianna , located in the east
- Ponta de Saragaça , located in the east southeast
- Ponta da Várzea , located in the southeast
- Ponta Araujo , in the south-southwestern part of the island
- Ponta da Ribeira da Caixa , in the southwestern part of the island
Tributaries
In Clockwise order:
History
Discovered on Saint Vincent's Day (January 22) in 1462, the island remained practically uninhabited until the middle of the 19th century. It was only in 1838, when a coal deposit was established in Porto Grande to supply ships on Atlantic routes, that the population started to grow rapidly. Due to the lack of rain and consequent lack of natural resources, the economy of São Vicente is based mainly on commerce and services.
Transportation
The island is connected with three major roads:
- Mindelo - São Pedro
- Mindelo - Calhau
- Mindelo - Baia das Gatas
The secondary routes include:
- From Mindelo - Calhau
- From Mindelo - Baia das Gatas
- road to Monde Verde
- road to Salamansa
External links
(in French)
(in German)
Photos (in Portuguese)
see also Geography of Cape Verde
